Most lakes across the Northwoods became ice covered in the last week, BUT ice thickness is real variable and only in the 1" to 3" range. In addition, much of the area received an inch or 2 of heavy wet snow just after the ice formed, and this has been slow to firm up with the mild temperatures of late. As such, ice conditions are extremely variable and generally unsafe for any kind of ice travel. Most ice anglers wait for a solid 4 inches of ice before venturing out, and with the current warm spell it may take a while yet to reach that thickness.

And with that said, there have been the first sightings of early season ice fishermen venturing out and these anglers seemed to be staying in shallow water and close to shore where the ice thickness was in the 2" to 3" range. This EARLY early season fishing is often quite erratic, and the first reports indicate minimal success with just a few eater size walleye being caught.